If you’ve got screenshots, videos, or downloads on your Oculus Quest 2 that you want to access or transfer to another device, there are a few ways to do this. Whether you want to transfer the files to a computer, view screenshots and videos from your Quest 2 on your phone, or share media to other applications, this article is going to cover exactly how to access files on Oculus Quest 2.
The best way to access files on your Oculus Quest 2 is to connect your VR headset to a computer via USB cable. You can also sync your media files to the cloud via the Files app on your Quest 2 and access them via the Oculus phone app, or share files directly to Facebook Messenger, News Feed, or Groups.
How To Access Files On Oculus Quest 2
This article is going to provide step-by-step instructions for each of the methods for accessing the files on your Oculus Quest 2. I’m going to cover the following:
- Transferring files to a PC or Mac, and how to fix common problems with this.
- Syncing media between your Oculus Quest 2 and your phone.
- Sharing media directly from your headset.
How To Transfer Files On Oculus Quest 2 To Your computer
The quickest way to transfer images and videos from your Quest 2 to a computer is to connect your Quest 2 to your computer using a USB cable. This method gives you complete flexibility to add or remove any type of file from your Quest 2 and gives you access to all of the files and folders installed on the device. It is particularly convenient if there are a lot of files that you need to transfer to a computer from your Quest 2.
Follow these steps to be able to transfer any files from your Oculus Quest 2 to your computer:
- Turn your Quest 2 headset on
- Connect your Quest 2 to your computer using a suitable USB cable. The Quest 2 comes with a USB cable with a USB-C connector at each end, but if your computer only has USB-A connections, you will need to use an adapter or use a USB-A to USB-C cable.
- Once the cable is connected, put your headset on and click on the Allow button to confirm that you are happy for your computer to access the files on your Quest 2. You can then remove your headset.
- In windows, open File Explorer, and then navigate to This PC and select Quest 2, which should appear amongst the list of other drives and connected USB devices.
- If you are using a Mac, you will need to download and install Android File Transfer to allow you to access the files on your Quest 2.
- Once this is installed, you can open Android File Transfer to access and transfer files from your Quest 2.
- Screenshots and videos are stored within the Oculus folder, which contains a separate folder for screenshots and video files.
What To Do If Your Oculus Quest 2 Is Not Showing Up As A Drive When Connected To A Computer
One of the most common problems you may experience when you connect your Quest 2 to a computer is that it doesn’t show up as a drive. There are several ways to fix this.
1. Make Sure To Click “Allow Access To Data”
The first thing to do after connecting your Quest 2 to your computer is to put your headset on and click Allow on the “Allow Access To Data” notification box that appears. DO NOT click on “don’t show this again” as this will prevent your Quest 2 from being detected in the future when connecting to your computer.
You must click on the Allow button every time you connect your Quest 2 to your computer to transfer files. If you forget, or if there is no USB connection dialogue, then your Quest 2 device will not show up on your computer when you connect it and you will not be able to access files on Oculus Quest 2 in this way. See the solution below to fix this problem.
2. Enable The USB Connection Prompt
If you have previously connected your Quest 2 to a computer and instead of clicking on the Allow Access To Data button, you clicked on the “don’t show this again” option, your Quest 2 will no longer connect to your PC when you link them with a USB cable.
This can be fixed easily, but it’s more difficult than it should be. There is no simple option on the Quest 2 to restore this dialogue box unless you have enabled Developer Mode on your Quest 2. The solution to your problem is to enable Developer Mode, and then you can easily restore the ability to connect to your computer with a USB cable.
- Switch off your Quest 2 headset.
- Go to the Oculus developer website and sign up for a developer account. This only takes a minute to do.
- You can log in with an existing Facebook account to have a merged account, or create a new standalone account. I would recommend using the Facebook account you are using on your Quest 2 if possible.
- All you need to do is to add a telephone number or credit card to verify your account and add a few brief details to set up your developer account.
- You can then restart your Oculus Quest 2, navigate to the Settings app, and select System.
- Click on the new Developer option that you will find and click on the button next to the USB connection dialogue setting.
- You can now connect your Quest 2 to your computer and you will see a USB connection dialogue box on the headset. Click Allow and your Quest 2 will show up as a USB drive on your computer, allowing you to access files on Oculus Quest 2 again.
3. Update The Drivers If Oculus Quest 2 Is Not Showing Up When Connected To A Computer
The other possible cause is that your Oculus Quest 2 is not being correctly detected as a USB mass storage device, and this is usually due to the drivers not being installed, or requiring an update or repair.
- Connect your Quest 2 to your computer via USB cable.
- Click on the Start Menu and type “Device Manager” and click on the application of the same name.
- Look for Portable Devices and click on this to expand.
- Right-click on Quest 2 and select Update Driver.
How To Transfer Photos From Oculus Quest 2 To Your Phone
The best way to transfer photos and videos from your Oculus Quest 2 to your phone is to use the media syncing feature on your headset. This will sync all screenshots and videos that you take with your headset to the Oculus app that you should have on your phone.
Here’s how to set up media syncing on your Oculus Quest 2:
- After putting your Oculus Quest 2 headset on, press the Oculus button on your right controller to access the toolbar.
- Select the App Library icon from the right side of the toolbar
- Now select Files from the App Library
- You will now have the option to view the files on your headset and can browse downloads, media files, and recent files, as well as view the individual folders on your headset.
- You will see a cloud icon in the top right corner of the Files app that allows you to turn on cloud syncing. Once you click this, all the media files on your Oculus Quest 2 will be backed up to the cloud and you can access them via the Oculus app on your phone.
- Open the Oculus app on your phone and select the Gallery tab at the bottom of the screen. You will now see all of the media files that are on your Quest 2.
- You can now click on each one and use the Share button in the top right corner to share this file in a number of ways. My personal preference is to share it with the Google Photos app as this is where I tend to store all my photos and videos.
Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a way to share multiple files at once, and you can not download the files directly to your phone.
How To Transfer Files To Oculus Quest 2 Wirelessly
Although there is no native functionality to transfer files wirelessly from your phone or computer to the Quest 2, there are a number of very simple ways to make this work easily. The best option is to use a cloud file-sharing service to backup your files from your phone or computer, which you can then access via the browser on your Quest 2.
Here is the process I use to transfer files to Oculus Quest 2 wirelessly:
- I use Google Drive and Google Photos to back up my videos, photos, and files from my phone and computer. Once the files are backed up, I can access them on my Quest 2 via the browser.
- Open the default internet browser on your Oculus Quest 2.
- Navigate to the Google Photos or Google Drive website.
- Log in with your username and password.
- You can then view or download any of your files directly to your Quest 2 headset.
How To Access Downloaded Files On Oculus Quest 2
Once you have downloaded files onto your Quest 2, they can be accessed by opening the Files app in your App Library. Click on the App Library icon on the right side of the toolbar that appears when you press the Oculus button on your right Quest 2 controller.
Select the Files app, and you will then see an option on the left labeled Downloads where you can browse through all of your downloaded files.
How To Share Files On Oculus Quest 2
You can directly share files from your Oculus Quest 2 to your Facebook News Feed, Groups, or to Facebook Messenger. You can do this by clicking on the Sharing button on the toolbar or by accessing the Files app.
Click on the file you want to share and then select the sharing icon in the top right corner. You will be given the option of where you want to share the file to. You can only share images and videos in this way, but not downloads or other files.
If you want to share files to another location, you can sync the files on your Oculus Quest 2 with your Oculus app, or transfer the files to your computer using a USB cable, enabling you to access files on Oculus Quest 2 and use them how you like.
How To View Oculus Quest 2 Recordings On Your Phone
The best way to view Oculus Quest 2 recordings on your phone is to link your Oculus Quest 2 to the Oculus smartphone app, and then enable file syncing on your phone. Once you do this, all video recordings you make on the Quest 2 will be backed up to the cloud and you can then view them on your phone via the Oculus app.
You can also share the recordings to multiple different destinations, giving you considerable freedom to use the recordings how you want.
Go to the Files app in the App library on your Quest 2 and toggle the cloud syncing icon in the top right of the screen. As long as you are connected to WiFi, your Quest 2 will immediately start syncing your media files to the cloud. Once syncing is complete, you can access them via the Oculus app.
Open your Oculus app and select Gallery to view all of your synced media files. You cannot download the files directly to your phone, but you can share them with a wide range of apps and services.
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